I enjoyed this portrait of pop-up book artist Matthew Reinhart because, well, pop-up books are awesome and will never stop being amazing no matter how old I am, or how far technology advances. But also because he explains the technical aspects that go into making a pop-up book, like the v-folds he uses to make something lunge out, the layers he builds to establish structure, and the different hinges he puts in to make objects move around.

Marketing has seen a paradigm shift with the rise of all things online and mobile. Creating a business Facebook page, tweeting about industry news, sending sale push notifications to customers… the channels we use to talk to leads and customers are evolving every day. While these platforms are remarkably effective—hey, we wouldn’t be in business if they weren’t!—most successful businesses practice a combination of online and offline marketing strategies to generate leads and boost sales.

Sidewalk ads, branded giveaways (like pens or shirts), and local donations are all examples of offline guerrilla marketing. These simple actions are easy ways to spread the business name in subtle but effective ways. Below we pay tribute to the old-school marketing strategies that still do the job today.

I mean, the animator in the gif above changes his shirt at least four times before he’s able to make the Ninja Monkey doll walk, like, a couple of steps. That’s a lot of time spent animating the most basic of motions lasting just seconds. Imagine all the elbow grease that goes into the more intense stuff, or even a minute of footage. In the behind-the-scenesfootage of Kubo and the Two Strings, we get to see a bit of the magic that goes into making a stop motion film.

Bringing cars into VR is far from a new concept. Back in April, BMW announced ways that they’d be using the HTC Vive to help actually design cars and, earlier this month, Vroom let you turn that same Vive into a car showroom. RelayCars, another showroom-style app on Gear VR, is one of the most popular apps on the platform, with over half a million downloads as of early July. The possibilities are plentiful with VR technology, not only for simulations, but demonstrations as well.

It is no secret that color theory plays a vital role in user experience. From highlighting CTAs to making sure that your text is readable, both the colors you choose and the context in which you show them are crucial to consider. Used correctly, color can evoke a specific reaction in your users and ensure that their experience with your product is as positive as possible.

When Disney opens 14-acre Star Wars areas in California and Florida in the coming years, there’s no doubt everything will be state of the art. In fact, a new patent suggests they’ve figured out a new way to make lightsabers work in the real world, but maybe not in the way you think.

A website called PatentYogi alerted us to a patent application, filed by Disney Enterprises, for something called an “Audience Interaction Projection System.” It’s obviously very technical but, it looks like Disney has created a system that would enable fans to deflect laser beams in real time, live in the park.

The system would likely have other uses too but, in the patent, this photo in particular seems telling.

A strong social network can become an asset for any business. Social media offers every business the opportunity to strengthen relationships with their target audience, creating loyal customers and even brand advocates. Exploiting this potential is no easy feat, but can be done if the medium is used well.

Mobile Loyalty programs are a time-tested and effective means to help a company increase brand growth and its reputation. It attracts new and old customers alike, and it stimulates them to return again and again.

If you haven’t seen the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi yet, it’s a fascinating look at the man behind the best sushi restaurant in the world, Jiro Ono, and his obsessive drive to continue to improve his craft, and stay one step ahead of the machines that might one day steal his job. Although he probably doesn’t know about his robot rivals yet.